Learn the proper cooking times for foods you like to steam. Smaller foods, such as broccoli florets, can be piled loosely in the steamer basket. Large foods, such as bao buns, must be arranged in a single layer in the steamer basket with room for air to circulate around them. A large percentage of them are, which makes post-meal cleanup far easier.Īrrange foods in your steamer pot properly.
Some steamer pots are oven-safe, which is handy if you want to use yours for anything other than steaming, or if you sometimes like to keep your steamed food warm in the oven until everything else is ready.īestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert TipsĬheck whether your steamer pot is dishwasher-safe. This won't make much difference to how you use the steamer pot, so go with your preference, if you have one. More often than not, steamer pots have two short handles, one on either side, but sometimes they have a single long handle or a long handle on one side and a short handle on the other. We'd recommend a clear glass lid, so you can keep an eye on the progress of your food without lifting the lid. However, it should have a small vent hole in it to stop too much pressure building and steam and water spluttering out from around the edges. LidĪ steamer pot must have a lid, as steam needs to be trapped inside to cook the food. Both raw and hard-anodized aluminum will not work on an induction cooktop unless it has an induction plate or something similar set into it. As such, it's best to check the listing carefully (it should state if it's induction-friendly) or contact the manufacturer. The majority of stainless steel steamer pots will work on an induction stove, but it's not a given because there are different types of stainless steel. If you have an induction stove, it's important to choose a steamer pot that will work on your burners. The food in the upper basket can take slightly longer to cook than the food in the lower basket, so you may need to switch them over part-way through cooking. If you have two steamer baskets, you can cook twice the amount of food at once, which is great if you have a large family or often cook for friends. The majority of steamer pots have just one steamer basket, but some have two baskets that can either be used individually or both at the same time. The steamer basket fits into the pot and is what you place your food directly into to steam it. Because raw aluminum is highly reactive, you generally shouldn't use the pot part for anything other than steaming. You can also find raw aluminum steamer pots, which are inexpensive but aren’t of the highest quality. It has excellent heat transfer, though it does take a while to heat up. Hard-anodized aluminum has been chemically hardened to make it nonreactive and give it a naturally nonstick finish. As such, stainless steel steamer pots often have a copper or aluminum core or base to improve heat transfer.Īlthough not quite as common, hard-anodized aluminum is another material you might find a steamer pot made from. The downside of stainless steel is that heat transfer isn't great. This is because it’s a nonreactive metal that doesn't rust and is inexpensive, too. Stainless steel is a hugely common material for steamer pots to be made from. When you steam vegetables, they retain more of their nutrients than when you boil them, so steaming is a healthy way to cook your veggies.
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